barbie to be banned in west virginia?

[rikorikojie]

his home state is west virginia - where barbie has been banned

oh so thats what he means.

[FoxyBunny]

You know, there is so much more to a child's self-image and ambitions than the toys they play with. When my son was little, my mother packed up a bunch of my old things and shipped them out for him. Included was my collection of Barbie dolls. My son LOVED them. He ripped their limbs off, had them shooting guns, etc. I probably should have rescued my Malibu Barbie, since she was the rare one that you could turn her arm and make her "grow up" from a flat-chested short girl to a tall, big-busted woman. She was worth some cash until he decapitated her.

My daughter, on the other hand, had no interest in dolls at all. For her, it's all animals and jedi. (Yeah yeah, I know....don't start.) For Halloween last year she wanted to combine her two favorite things and be Darth Bunny.

I think a toy is definitely not the problem. I think parents pushing their children to be a certain way or providing them with poor examples (and let's not get me started on too much TV) is the problem.

[Wildor]

Are we starting the "Innate" versus "Acquired" debate again? That's never been resolved, you know...

[rikorikojie]

You know, there is so much more to a child's self-image and ambitions than the toys they play with. When my son was little, my mother packed up a bunch of my old things and shipped them out for him. Included was my collection of Barbie dolls. My son LOVED them. He ripped their limbs off, had them shooting guns, etc. I probably should have rescued my Malibu Barbie, since she was the rare one that you could turn her arm and make her "grow up" from a flat-chested short girl to a tall, big-busted woman. She was worth some cash until he decapitated her.

My daughter, on the other hand, had no interest in dolls at all. For her, it's all animals and jedi. (Yeah yeah, I know....don't start.) For Halloween last year she wanted to combine her two favorite things and be Darth Bunny.

I think a toy is definitely not the problem. I think parents pushing their children to be a certain way or providing them with poor examples (and let's not get me started on too much TV) is the problem.

oh yeah the television can be blamed on alot of things sometimes like death note and naruto mostly, on the death note part a person had his friends sighn a book he called death note and a boy died of from having his head buried under the sand just by copying a character on naruto.

[DeSalvionjr]

well, they once made a growing up barbie...
and when you spun its arm it... well... um... it grew up... *wink* *wink*

EDIT: also, they made one that "has babies" also...

[FoxyBunny]

Are we starting the "Innate" versus "Acquired" debate again? That's never been resolved, you know...

Why not? It's a great debate.

Look, I'm no expert, but I've got two children of my own, and I work with a zillion other mothers. During breaks and lunches, the guaranteed topic of 99% of the conversations is our children, so I hear a lot too.

I can tell you that there is no doubt in my mind that children have a combination of natural preferences that nothing in the world can change and a desire to imitate what they see around them. My kids love to cook because their parents enjoy it and involve them and make it fun. Pure influence there. My daughter has an obsession with animals (especially cows) while my son is much more interested in anything that explodes, and I tell you that is innate.

The trick is to influence them well while still respecting their built-in preferences. And of course, you can't protect them from everything so you better have good lines of communication!

[rikorikojie]

Why not? It's a great debate.

Look, I'm no expert, but I've got two children of my own, and I work with a zillion other mothers. During breaks and lunches, the guaranteed topic of 99% of the conversations is our children, so I hear a lot too.

I can tell you that there is no doubt in my mind that children have a combination of natural preferences that nothing in the world can change and a desire to imitate what they see around them. My kids love to cook because their parents enjoy it and involve them and make it fun. Pure influence there. My daughter has an obsession with animals (especially cows) while my son is much more interested in anything that explodes, and I tell you that is innate.

The trick is to influence them well while still respecting their built-in preferences. And of course, you can't protect them from everything so you better have good lines of communication!

I see having children is hard and I also know that once they want something they won't stop wanting it just like a part of a movie I saw where this teen had this thing for adults only then Idk why lol but a kid started saying that he wants it.

[Wildor]

Why not? It's a great debate.

Look, I'm no expert, but I've got two children of my own, and I work with a zillion other mothers. During breaks and lunches, the guaranteed topic of 99% of the conversations is our children, so I hear a lot too.

I can tell you that there is no doubt in my mind that children have a combination of natural preferences that nothing in the world can change and a desire to imitate what they see around them. My kids love to cook because their parents enjoy it and involve them and make it fun. Pure influence there. My daughter has an obsession with animals (especially cows) while my son is much more interested in anything that explodes, and I tell you that is innate.

The trick is to influence them well while still respecting their built-in preferences. And of course, you can't protect them from everything so you better have good lines of communication!

Yes, but as you know F.B. (or is it Gus?), there is no clear line between the Innate and the Acquired. I really believe that a strong enough outside influence can distort or even completely twist an Innate trait. And so too a natural inclination, if reinforced enough through genetic manipulation (you need go no further than specialized breeding programs. We in the horse racing business have been doing that for centuries now.), will be so deeply rooted as to be well nigh impossible to eradicate.

I'm not saying anything new here, I know. But reflecting on it makes you wonder what consist an individual exactly. And that's not the worst, you know...

Have a look at studies done on "multiple personalities" disorder. THAT will boggle your mind!!! Distinct personalities coming out of... I don't know where! Inhabiting the same mind, or brain... or both...

Brrrrr! I'm scared Mommy! (or is it Daddy, Gus???)

[rikorikojie]

oh just from a pm that thing I said earlier won't happen unless it was in a different way.

[Sakura_It]

oh yeah the television can be blamed on alot of things sometimes like death note and naruto mostly, on the death note part a person had his friends sighn a book he called death note and a boy died of from having his head buried under the sand just by copying a character on naruto.

Not everything can be blamed on T.V eg the quote above me. People should have the sense not to stick their head in the sand because it will hurt them. If they done that what other stupid things have they done that isnt related to Tv and Movies.

And people with sense know that Deathnote isnt real. If i ciould writes someones name in a book and it can kill them well hell i would try it out.

Its fiction and some people have over excitable imaginations